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Keeping BPA Out of Our Children: No Amount is Safe for My Child

BPA is a hot topic. Is it a concern or not? According to the FDA, BPA is okay at the levels found in our food and storage containers which hold our food. I am not one to trust the FDA to decide what is safe for my child. This is the same organization that says artificial colorants are okay in foods, the same colorants that cause my six year olds face to go red and blotchy (among other reactions that the medical community will try to say aren’t related, because food doesn’t affect behavior they say).

For my children, no amount of chemical exposure is safe. I don’t put it on their bodies. I don’t feed them preservatives, dyes or artificial flavorings. Why would I allow them to use products that could leach potentially harmful chemicals like BPA into their food or water? My children aren’t going to be the guinea pigs for this safety test.

Comic from Natural News

Fortunately, there has been enough concern over BPA that many manufacturers have started providing safe alternatives. We do not have to sit idly by while we wait to see if our children will suffer neurological deficits due to BPA exposure.

The first step, BREASTFEED. Yep, those containers do not contain any plastic. If you are worried about leaching potentially harmful chemicals into your breastmilk, keep yourself healthy. Eat organic, drink lots of fresh filtered (not bottled) water, give up soda pop and all things artificial. Remove chemicals from your home. You have control over this and its not hard to do! While you are providing a healthier start for your child, you will also be reducing your risk of cancer and other health conditions.

When you do need a bottle. Opt for GLASS or BPA-FREE plastic like Medela (whose entire line is BPA free, yay for breast milk loving companies). BornFree makes wonderful glass bottles (and BPA free plastic bottles) which have a nice wide shape that makes holding and cleaning easier. Read the packaging, while browsing the infant feeding aisle recently I found a 3 pack of colored plastic infant bottles that were labeled BPA free. The pack of three was under $4. Playing it safe doesn’t have to be expensive (and let me remind you that breastfeeding is free, but I digress).

Once you are beyond the bottle stage, there are cute and healthy options for sippy cups and water bottles. My kiddos all carry around a Klean Kanteen. These come with options for sippy spout or pop top, so for a couple dollars they can grow with your child (hows that for sustainability) plus they are recyclable once you can’t eek anymore life out of your bottle. Avent sippy cups are BPA free (though their entire line is NOT, so read carefully). Evidently the colored plastic they use is BPA free while the clear, hard plastic contains the offending chemical.

A free option is to carry around a quart size glass jar with your water or beverage of choice. They are durable, so most tumbles won’t break the jars. It also makes people wonder just what you are drinking.

Comments

I really hate that when it comes to chemicals we are an “innocent until proven guilty” country. In other countries, you have to prove a chemical is safe before you’re allowed to give it to children. Here, you have to prove it’s harmful before taking it away. (And “harmful” doesn’t mean “might cause cancer in 20 years” but “might cause anaphylaxis immediately”!)

You had me worried for a bit with the board books page, but I trust the FDA over some random parent with no credentials. Weird allergies are one thing – I even heard of a woman allergic to estrogen, who had anaphylaxis when she ovulated – but the FDA wouldn’t approve something dangerous to the general population. They stopped thalidomide, after all. All chemicals are toxic in enough dosage, even water.

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[…] but then they also allow our foods to be painted with chemically derived colors and flavorings and are telling us that BPA is safe. We know better. No chemical is safe enough to be in my families […]

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About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.